It is common for stadium owners to display advertising and other signage at sporting events. Many stadiums, such as those for football, hockey, soccer, basketball and baseball, are equipped with a number of different advertising systems including electronic scoreboard displays, rotating signs and traditional billboards. Although popular in other parts of the world for some time, soccer games have become increasingly popular in the U.S. Greater interest has resulted in increased stadium attendance and television coverage. The greater audience has led to increased advertising exposure at soccer games. For example, advertising signs can be placed around the periphery of the playing field and facing the playing field. In this configuration, spectators can view the advertising signs placed on the opposite side of the playing field. In addition, television cameras covering the game include the advertising and promotional signage in the background of the television picture, further increasing the advertising exposure.
Applicant is aware of only one portable signage system being used at soccer games. The system has been used in the U.S. Applicant believes the system is operated by Stadium Publicity, Ltd., an English corporation. This signage system generally includes plywood signs and lightweight metal support stands. Advertisements are painted directly onto the plywood signs, which are approximately ten feet long. Furring strips are attached on the outer edges of the backside of the plywood sign. A narrow wood piece is vertically attached to the furring strips at each end of the sign, thus defining a space between the wood piece and the sign. The support stand is L-shaped and has a vertical portion. To stand the sign upright, the vertical portion of the support stand is inserted into the space between the wood piece and the sign at each end of the sign. Because the support stands are lightweight, sandbags are then placed on base portions of the support stands to add stability to the sign.
There are a number of problems involved with this system. Because the advertisements are painted directly onto the plywood signs, advertisements cannot be easily changed. Painted signs are also inferior in appearance to printed signs. The construction of this system only allows advertisements to face the playing field, or television side. Advertisements do not face the stadium grandstands, or spectator side.
Furthermore, in this signage system, the vertical portion of the support stand is two feet high. This makes it difficult to lift the sign high enough to insert the vertical portion in the space between the narrow wood piece and the plywood sign. In addition, the furring strip leads to a large clearance between the support stands and the sign. Consequently, the sign tends to wobble excessively. Because the support stands are lightweight, sandbags are required to be placed on the support stands to prevent the sign from tipping over. These sandbags are considered unsightly. The sandbags also present a tripping hazard and occupy additional space on the field. If a plurality of signs are placed adjacent one another on end around the periphery of the playing field, there is no direct access to the field. To provide direct access, an entire sign assembly must be inconveniently lifted and moved out of the way. Finally, this system requires a great amount of time to set-up and is difficult to store and transport from stadium to stadium.
The present invention is provided to solve these and other problems.